


Rare Words

by LunaUlric



Category: Final Fantasy XV, Kingsglaive
Genre: Angst, Drabbles, F/M, Fluff, glaives - Freeform, lunyx, nyx and luna, otp: the princess and the glaive, princess-bodyguard AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-21
Updated: 2018-07-19
Packaged: 2019-03-22 02:50:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13754685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LunaUlric/pseuds/LunaUlric
Summary: This is a set of drabbles pertaining to selected rare words. All will be about Nyx and Luna and sometimes with the glaives. The stories will be fluff, angst and everything in between.Mostly set in my Princess-Bodyguard AU where Nyx works as a bodyguard for Luna regularly unless ordered to battle.





	1. Harana

**Author's Note:**

> This is me and [@fabulanova-ffxv‘s](http://fabulanova-ffxv.tumblr.com/) first story discussion. EVER. And since I’m trying to fight my writer’s block, I’m gonna start with this fun little thing. (btw, trivia: “harana” is a Filipino word.)

**"Harana"**

\- (n.)  _The act of wooing someone by serenading them._

* * *

 

Peace was disrupted by a howl.

Luna shifted under the cool caress of the sheets and reluctantly opened her eyes. With her brows scrunched up, she squinted into the darkness of her quarters. Nothing was initially amiss. The dead of night was still, well, dead. The objects around – books by the large shelf, the flowers on the vase, the small tassels of the bed’s canopy – weren’t perturbed and seemed to continue on with the sleep. 

The princess groaned and mentally complained about the imaginary sound that woke her up. But she didn’t let herself dwell on it longer and plopped right back into her favorite pillow. A sigh escaped from her before her eyes shut to a close.  

But, oh, it wasn’t imaginary. 

There was another holler. This time it wasn’t as vague and as synonymous to an animal’s call. Luna sat back up and made her groan more audible. The awful screeching continued and she realized it was coming from outside. So she got up and trudged towards the glass doors that led to the balcony. When she opened them, the lyrical words blared.

_“ **…And even as I wander, I’m keeping you in sight…** ”_

Luna hurried to the stone railings and peered into the view below. And there he was - the source of the off-key tune. His glaive coat unbuttoned and revealing his shirt, his swaying stance, his reddened but grinning face… He didn’t have to have a bottle with him for Luna to realize the obvious. The glaive had probably just come from a drink out with his friends. And he was left alone to fend for himself because they were probably equally intoxicated.

Nyx spotted her despite his drunken state. He widened his eyes and stretched his smile into a bigger one, like he had won something. And he stretched out his arms, palms open, delivering a performance.

“ ** _… You’re a candle in the window, On a cold, dark winter’s niiiight_ …**” he sang.

Bewildered by his presence at this hour, Luna had to interrupt. “What on Eos are you doing here?

Instead of answering her question, he belted.

“ _ **…And I’m getting closer than I ever thought I miiiiiiight…**_ ”

“Nyx!” she tried again, even if she felt it was futile. “You’re going to wake up everybody!”

A glaive loitering like this in the palace grounds is a reason for suspension. Plus, serenading meant trying to get the princess’ hand which could be an even graver offense or worse, especially if the palace residents find out their secret romances from this. But how can she stop him instantly when she would encounter two sets of stairs and a long dash towards the door. By the time she’d reach him, the others would’ve woken up and would be fussing over detaining him.

And he’s not making it easier. Genuine happiness was painted on his smile. His voice cracked with gusto.

“ **… _AND I CAN’T FIGHT THIS FEELING ANYMOOOOORE_ …**”

“Oh dear.” Luna laughed as he shamelessly continued.

“ _ **… I’VE FORGOTTEN WHAT I STARTED FIGHTING FOOOOOR**!”_

Luna knew the song. It was one of the things that his old cassette player would hum when she stayed in his apartment.  _Sometimes I like it old school_ , he had said when she asked why he bought the old gadget in the first place.

Remembering the next part of the lyrics, she realized an idea to make him stop.

 _“ **IT’S TIME TO-**  _”

“It’s time to bring the singing to balcony.” she interrupted with mirth.

Nyx blinked. His speech was as unsteady as his stance. “That’s not the lyrics, princess.”

The princess chuckled. “Then correct me. Here. Now.”

The glaive brought back the happy grin and took out one of his kurkis to throw. Luna took a number of steps back and hid behind one of the columns in case his drunkenness had affected his aim. And it did, because the spinning blade landed passed her, making him warp closer to the walls. It was too late for him to hit the breaks when he appeared. He hit the stone wall face first.

Luna winced as she witnessed it and ran to his beaten form on the floor. She got down to her knees as he groaned in pain.

“Are you alright?” she asked.

His face didn’t seem bruised for now but it still expressed the pain.

“It’s time to bring this ship into the shore.” he groaned.

“What?”

“The right lyrics.”

“Oh.” She chuckled as she helped him to sit up. “I think it’s not even the right song to serenade me with.”

Nyx nursed his forehead but didn’t move. He muttered an “Oh?” as he seemed to try to keep his focus on her.

“It’s for telling of true feelings for the first time.” she shrugged. She sat with him on the floor and crossed her legs. “I already know of your feelings. You already confessed it.”

His love for her wasn’t something new and they have been together for quite a while now. But now thinking back, she realized he never really did confess it.

Well, not verbally.

It was at that moment in a particular morning from some time ago, when he looked at her with longing in his eyes. There wasn’t a kiss yet but as they stood face to face, she knew of what he thinking and feeling. No words or song was needed. His hand touching her cheek was already soft poetry. His caring stare was the desired intro of a melody. From that moment, her heart had listened carefully.

Luna smiled at the memory before noticing her glaive staring up. She followed his gazed and saw the distant celestial orb that glowed against the black night. Then his voice, somehow far less drunken than before, soothed a different and quieter lyric.

“ _ **Fly me to the moon, Let me play among the stars… Let me see what spring is like on… on…** ”_

His brows creased, trying to find the next set of words.

“ _ **On Jupiter and Mars**.”_  she continued for him with her own quiet voice.

He looked at her and returned the smile as he continued to sing. With a finger on her lips she reminded to keep it low. He followed her order with a salute. She laughed before joining his little a capella.

“ ** _In other words, hold my hand_ … ** _ **In other words, baby, kiss me**._ ”

She grabbed his hand helped him up. He swayed so she provided support as they walked towards the bed. When they reached it, Nyx plopped down on the soft the covers quickly. Alcohol was finally delivering its latter effects but he was still singing softly.

“ _ **Fill my heart with song and let me sing forevermore… You are all I long for, all I worship and adore…**_ ”

While she took off his boots and moved his legs to a proper sleeping position, she replied with the next lyric.

“ _ **…In other words, please be true… In other words,…** ”_

His eyes were closed, on their way to the land of dreams, but the corner of his lips curve up. He whispered the final words to the song.

“ _ **… I love you.** ”_

Luna tried not to react but felt the flush on her cheeks and thumping on her chest. Unfortunately, Nyx had succumbed to slumber after that.

The princess sat at the edge of the bed and stared at her glaive. His head sunk on the pillow, arms splayed, face still reddened, lips parted. Soon, she’d hear him snore. She held his hand and took off the glove. She kissed the palm before pressing it on her cheek. However callous his skin was, she yearned the warmth as she had wanted to hear those three little words from him.

She thought having to just know was enough. But finally hearing it, even just in a song…  _Oh so lovely to the ears_.

Luna hummed the song as she lay beside him. The words, together with the melody, were becoming an earworm but she didn’t mind losing sleep over it.

She never really did mind everything that happened in this night.


	2. Athazagoraphobia

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My fight against writer’s block continues and I think I’m winning. Blame [@fabulanova-ffxv](http://fabulanova-ffxv.tumblr.com/) for this story because SHE JUST BREATHES ANGST. This story got so deep I felt like I dug myself a ten feet hole.

**“Athazagoraphobia”**

_(n.) – The fear of forgetting, being forgotten or ignored, or being replaced._

* * *

 

“… To the soldiers, the people, who continue to fight and protect the future, we give you our best praise.”

Her voice traveled far into the field. The crowd began their applause, not so much to cheer but to revere the words she gifted to the ones who wore scars and medals.

The members of the Kingsglaive in their best uniform stood up as the Princess Oracle, the honorary speaker for this year’s Heroes’ Memorial, faced back at them in her spot behind the podium. She looked at every one of them with her eyes that tell of genuine pride and gratefulness, while her palms delivered the heartfelt staccato of her bravo. The glaives, though with an air of bashfulness and uncertainty, took the praises in stoic silence. Their heads were faced straight as if it they were merely ordered to falling in line. None of them smiled nor frowned, but a myriad of thoughts and memories raced. Images of battles, victories, and horrors. The latter was most likely pushed aside.

The blonde royal faced the crowd again when the clapping had faded.

“To the soldiers, the people, who sought the same future and gave their lives for it, we give you our best salute.”

As her voice echoed even after the last word, the crowd turned their attention to the view behind them. The commander of the glaives, Titus Drautus, shouted a firm call to salute. And in perfect unison, the glaives brought a stiff hand above their brow. Immediately, the crowd followed suit. There was not a sound that interrupted the gesture of respect.

Just sunlight,  the wind, the rustling of the leaves on the trees and the perfect rows of white marble slabs among the green grass.

Graves. Hundreds of fallen soldiers lined up like their living counterparts.

Nyx eyed the field as he held the salute. Like his fellow glaives, he had never missed this annual ceremony. It was requirement and it was something that none of them could ever see as a taxing assignment.

Heroes’ Memorial was the same every year. Same crowd of dignitaries and soldiers’ families. Same solemn morning. The only thing changed was the person delivering the speech. In most years, it was the king. Sometimes, it was the prince. And now it was the adopted daughter of Lucis – Princess Lunafreya Nox Fleuret. It didn’t matter if you’re from Insomnia, Tenebrae or in any other place. As long as you had experienced war in any shape or form, you are granted to speak in this event. After all, everyone who fought for peace never really came from one place only.

Nevertheless, it was all the same. Warriors, the living and the dead, were honored in this very day.

Drautus sounded the end of the salute and the glaives dropped their stiff hands to their sides. The military band began to play their best familiar dirge. The event concluded when the last note rippled into the air like the last teardrop. A moment of silence and then the people dispersed in their slow and steady pace. Some followed the path to the exit and the rest spread into the field of the soldiers’ graves. Spouses and children were first to lay the flowers. Then, friends.

The glaives joined.

Crowe, one of Nyx’s closest friends, held a small flower and placed it on a particular tombstone. Nyx peeked at the name inscribed on the marble and recognized it was someone who died shortly after graduating boot camp. Pelna, Tredd, Luche and the others went to other graves in the same fashion. Small gifts, if not flowers were placed on the resolute stones that bore the names of fighters killed in action.

It wasn’t because of courtesy, it was the more about the bond. Because when the Kingsglaive chanted “For Hearth and Home”, sometimes “home” meant the glaive itself.

Slowly, Nyx paced among the line of tombstones. He read the names and occasionally stopped to pay respects mentally by remembering their faces and how he had met them. It was all like a montage of smiles and scenes in his head. He didn’t dwell longer on each so he could avoid moving onto the sadder aspects.

He stopped at the graves of the glaives from Galahd. Libertus, his best friend and fellow Galahdian, was already there. He saw him already placing burning incense on the surface of the marble. He stood beside him, reading all the names. He still remembered clearly what these people were like before they became the king’s soldiers, their words and sentiments when their homeland was attacked and the battles they fought together. Then, he took out his own collection of incense and lit them, and placed them  beside the ones that came first.

When Nyx was done, Libertus pointed at one named stone and smirked. “Remember when Luche tried to cut his braid just for kicks?” he muttered.

Nyx remember. “He gave Luche a beating.” he replied.

“Yep.” the chubby glaive sighed. Libertus didn’t have to say it; Nyx knew his friend missed them all. He himself missed them. They stood there for a while, allowing more memories of their dead friends to come back to them again.

That was all they were now. Just memories. Nyx started to feel a tinge of sorrow from that.

Then, he looked up and spotted a section of graves that wasn’t visited. That was where the blanks were placed. Tombstones with no names. Only a date of death. He stared at them and felt the melancholy inside of his chest grow.

“Well, that’s that.” Libertus announced, turning to his friend. “Wanna go for a drink?”

Nyx still stared at the blanks. “Nah, I’m sticking here for a while.”

“You sure? Today’s also a holiday y’know.”

“Pass.”

“Not in the mood, eh?”

Nyx said nothing. Libertus just shrugged. “Suit yourself. But if you change your mind, I’ll be just be at Yama’s.”

Then the friend left him alone, shouting the drink invite at Crowe and Pelna.

As Libertus walked away, Nyx trudged forward into the section he held sight of. He stopped at a row of nameless stones and faced the first one. It was the same white marble but there were no flowers, no trinkets, no incense. The once shiny surface was rough with dust. Dead leaves crowded the top. The engraved date was collecting years of grime.

Nyx crouched and began wipe away the leaves and the dust. When it was clear enough, his fingers started to chip away the soil collected on the lone strip of letters and numbers. The glaive minded the month and the year, and wondered if he ever met this soldier or if he even seen him in action. He could remember some battles in that time but there wasn’t any distinct face coming to mind.

Like the rest in the line, this unfortunate soul must have belonged to a group of deaths - civilians, militia and glaive all mixed in together. The body, or what was left of it, was probably too disfigured to recognize. Clothes would leave clues though. The fact that this was buried here meant that they were, at least, identified as a glaive.

But that’s the end of it. Just a uniform or parts of it that told of this person’s role in the war.

Nyx had been a glaive for a long time. He was used to the nameless dead and the little known casualty, but somehow, it bothered him that he couldn’t remember this soldier.

“A friend of yours?”

Nyx stopped. From the crouching position, he turned his head to see who spoke behind him. Baby blue eyes stared and the blonde ponytailed hair moved as the wind blew. He was a little surprised that the Oracle Princess stayed behind. But he reminded himself he shouldn’t be. She would never just deliver a speech for an event; she would show that she meant every word in one way or another.

Luna gave him a small smile. Even in her heels and delicate dress, she crouched down next to him after some seconds of eye contact. As she moved closer, he went back to clearing up the grime on the engraved letters.

When she settled and her hands joined in the cleanup, pushing away more leaves, he shook his head. “I don’t even know who this is.”

“At least we’re here to take notice.” Luna responded.

“Only now.” the glaive muttered as he continued to lift away morsels of dirt. “Nobody’s been here since they were buried.”

Luna didn’t reply to that but he could sense that her sights have drifted to the other unnamed graves. Her silence weighed down on the gloom around them. Sights like this demanded the fact that war created this. Only such destruction could make graves that are destined to be forgotten.

The cool wind blew again and it made the dead leaves roll back to where they were. Nyx brushed them off again before he continued with the labor.

“And you’re burdened about all this?” the princess asked.

The glaive thought about it but he wasn’t really so sure why he was here in the first place.

He shrugged. “I guess I’m just trying to take them out of neglect.”

“Why?”

Nyx looked at her and saw her curious eyes. He found it strange that she didn’t seem to understand how it was just the least anyone could do, but as she await for his response he felt the digging of the simple question. It wasn’t because the idea was unrealized. It was a deeper reason for this extra effort he was making.

Nyx  had reacted to what he had witnessed earlier.

Crowe used to bring a bouquet of flower. Libertus used to let out a sob. They all used to stay longer. Every year, the pain of the loss diminishes. Maybe it’s because of the natural course of moving on or maybe, just maybe, they started to forget.

Nyx himself couldn’t remember exactly what his dead Galahdian friends looked like. The tattoos and the beads on their braids - they were just blurs. Guesses. Doubts of existence.

And if the named graves were starting to be forgotten, how much more were those who weren’t identified. Do people still wonder about them? Do memories about them still resurface in people’s minds?

Nyx brushed off the last piece of dirt and stood up. The date was now visibly cleaned. Still a bit stained but it was better than having dirt all over.

“There,” the princess declared with a faint smile. She stood up as well. “This soldier is cared for.”

The glaive couldn’t join her optimism. “But still forgotten.”

He saw her head move at the corner of his eye. He continued muttering. “Memories are all that’s left when someone’s gone. And memories fade.”

One day he’d be buried here. He’d be fortunate enough if he’d get a named tombstone. Friends would come and visit. His mother would light incense. But years would pass and slowly he’d be forgotten like the rest. He’d be just another footnote in history. And after that, nothing. Just another tombstone collecting rotting leaves and morsels of dirt.

The glaive felt the shiver of that thought. He fought the urge to hold himself.

“You’re wrong.” the princess voiced suddenly against the cold.

He looked at her. He waited for her to elaborate.

“These graves are neglect but that doesn’t mean they are forgotten. If memories won’t stay in the mind, they would make home in the heart” she said as she returned his gaze. “Somewhere out there, someone is remembering this soldier. Maybe a family member or a friend… Or maybe someone who was rescued.”

Luna took away her gaze as if a memory had suddenly come to her. Her lips moved to form a smile. And like in her speech, her voice reached out. It resounded in the glaive’s chest.

“I can never forget the hero who caught me when I fell.”

Nyx caught his breath. He remembered how her eyes spotted him behind her as the applause was sounded. The pride and the gratefulness. He remembered the times he had caught the princess’ hand so he could save her. He looked back at the unnamed grave and imagined the people this soldier saved. And he gazed at the ones where the smokes of incense were carried off by the wind.

Then, he thought about the day. The reason why they did the memorial every year. The claps and the salutes. The reason why he never missed the event. With each beat of his chest, he could remember the unbreakable bond of his friends. And as he felt all of it, her fingers began to entwine his. He imagined the princess’ heart remembering him.

He no longer felt the cold.

As the peace replaced the melancholy, he faced the final resting place of the unnamed hero, clicked his heels and brought a free hand to his brow to salute. And his mind chanted those words.

_For hearth and home._

 


	3. Disenthrall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s been 2 months since I wrote my last LuNyx fic because I was swamped with work and I was already squeezing some draws for the Nyx week. So my writer’s block is back. I was fighting it with this fic.

_“ **Disenthrall”**_

_(v.) – set free_

* * *

The bright feathers puffed and the head tilted with the beady eyes blinking as though there was something puzzling in front of it. It skipped about cautiously across the small wooden dock, observing, flicking its blue tail occasionally.

“I hope you don’t mind me staying here for a while.” Luna said to the bird.

She sat there, wearing a flowy sun dress, at the edge of the aged platform, with her bare feet touching the water. The trees shielded her from the noon sun. The sparkling lake pleased her sights. Tranquility was abundant and it had suited what she needed at the moment. However, the new companion chirped insistently the more she stared at it and its blue tail.

“Is that a welcome for me?” She slowly stretched her hand to it, hoping that the bird would perch on her finger instead. But before she could coax it into doing the small feat, it hopped in reverse and launched itself into the air. Luna followed its tiny, blurry form into the sky.

For a moment, she was in awe of how fast the creature took flight.

“I guess we’re not welcome here.”

The princess turned to where the voice came from. He stood a few meters away, holding a captured fish on his one hand and a makeshift spear on the other. He only wore his dark pants, a soft smile and nothing else. His hair was sloppy from the swim. His braids still dripped of the water. At this moment, he seemed like a Galahdan who had arrived home. Even though this wasn’t his home.

Luna smirked back at Nyx. The wooden platform creaked as his steps brought him closer. When the glaive reached the princess, he plopped down next to her. His feet dipped into the water as well.

“It seems I was wrong to deem your stories of hunting as exaggerations.” she commented.

The glaive gave that dimpled smile as he placed the spear and the fish behind him. “Now why would I exaggerate my stories, your highness?”

“Because you are a proud man, Nyx Ulric.”

“Proud of only what’s true about me.”

The princess chuckled as she nodded in agreement. Then she sighed away the mirth and leaned her head on him, uncaring that she would get drenched from him. She can feel him welcome her weight by moving closer and leaning his head to hers. Their sights stayed on the still sparkling water. The wind touched her cheek. His hand held hers with fingers intertwined.

This was lovely.

This was temporary.

Twenty-four hours, Nyx had told her. There would only be just a day of this breather before she would again be bound and shackled by duty. By this time, the Lucian palace would be at the brink of panic. Their beloved Princess Oracle, their adopted daughter, was supposed to arrive yesterday from a healing crusade. They would investigate. They would guess Niflheim was behind her delay. And on the next day, they would send the glaives to rescue her.

“Are you sure you will be alright after this?” the blonde asked.

The glaive mustered a weak shrug. “Yeah. They’ll probably just suspend me.” Then he faced her, spotting her worries in plain sight. “I’ll make radio contact first thing tomorrow and make up a reason for delay.”

“And what reason will you give them?”

“The car broke down.”

She tilted her head in amusement. “They would believe that?”

Nyx shrugged again, the grin was back on his face. “Hopefully.”

Her breathed out a laugh before leaning back to him again. Her feet played in the water, making swirls and circles. She drifted into a memory of them both reading maps in the palace library. Fingers had pointed at desired destinations. She had asked him of the most beautiful place besides his home. He pointed at a green space. No name and no dot to identify it. Just his finger on the green next to a large blue lake.

“How did you know I wanted to be here? ” she muttered.

His chest sounded the sigh. There was quiet pause. The wind made small waves into the water

“You had that look when you said you wanted a break.”

“What look?”

She sensed him searching for the right words before he finally spoke.

“Like you wanted to fly away.”

The words resonated deep into her tired bones. The glaive only saw what was true. Maybe it was obvious from the way she made her healing prayers a little quieter yesterday. Maybe she had that look all week long. All month long. Maybe only from that he caught a glimpse of the internal unsatisfaction, the weight of her title and duty finally taking a toll.

There wasn’t just awe when she watched the bird fly away. There was envy as well, a longing of what it had.

Freedom. A choice to walk away.

She felt his thumb rub the back of her hand, telling her that he would try with all his might to cut the infernal chains that had bound her since birth. And he would do so at her word.

If only it was that simple, my glaive.

She closed her eyes to rest and began to pretend that this moment, this freedom, would last longer.

 

 


	4. Echt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to [@loveiscosmicsin](https://loveiscosmicsin.tumblr.com/) for beta reading for me! She also gave me this idea when we were talking about Uncharted’s Nathan Drake being fond of sketching stuff in his journal.

**_"Echt"_ **

_(adj.) - real; authentic; genuine._

* * *

 

 She moved ever so slightly, which made the glaive consider that her highness was aware of what he was scribbling in the pocket-sized journal. He saw it in everything he tried to capture. In the eyes that evade and lowered in thought, in her lips that held a small but meaningful smile, in her slow-moving fingers that weaved the sun-lit locks in a simple braid. Maybe it was that obvious. Maybe she noticed how often his eyes went back and forth from subject to paper.

“You should be an artist.” Luna said, finally looking at him with those baby blues from where she had taken a seat by the balcony.

Nyx’s lips formed a quick smirk and gave a slight shake of his head. “Nah, I’m no Picasso.”

“Who said you needed to be Picasso?”

He chuckled at that but soon his grip on the journal went back to a steady. He continued to move the small pencil in slight nudges on the paper.

His mother used to do it, often leaving scribbled pictures of flowers on the coffee table back at home. His sister had the habit too, but she put more dedication on it - masterpieces on canvas instead of a thirty-second doodle on paper. Nyx, however, was more like his father, ready to fight and more gifted with a blade, hence this career as the king’s soldier and as the princess’ escort.  Sketching on the misused, worned out, journal was just a way to remedy boredom, unintentionally proving to himself that he took after his mother’s artistry even in a small way.

But he would never boast about it. Even if the princess had praised him for it as much as she did in his success in being a glaive. They were just quick doodles made with a light hand and finished within minutes. And he was satisfied with just filling the pages with these sketches. However, in this quiet balcony nook, he found himself sitting there longer, carefully shading with the dull tip of the graphite, adding more hair strands, trying to acquire exact details. She glowed and he wanted the image to show that.

As Luna finished a braid with a shiny clip at the end, Nyx concluded the sketch with a whiff to get rid of the graphite dust. He looked at her and looked at the sketch. His lips formed a crooked semi-frown and semi-something-else.

“Let me see.” she said.

The glaive reluctantly gave the journal. Her eyes scanned and scrutinized but gently as she was usually.

“Told you, I’m no Picasso.” he sighed, reclining his back to rest his head, facing the sky with closed eyes.

“It’s the best portrait I’ve had.”

He simpered. “You’ve posed for paintings made by famous artists.”

There was a slight giggle in her voice. “Can I have it?”

He raised a brow and turned to look. Her eyes were genuine and her smile showed it too. “You really want that?”

“Of course.” she said. “Every portrait I’ve had showed my status and my birthright. But this…”, she eyed the sketch again, “… I like this better.”

The glaive chuckled in confusion. “Why?”

The princess shrugged. “It showed the real me.” Then, she handed the journal back. “Sign it so everyone will know who did this masterpiece.”

He brought the brow up again. “You’re seriously want to keep it?”

She nodded while her eyes cheered.

Nyx shrugged to himself and signed it at the corner, just an ‘N’ and a ‘U’ next to each other. He ripped it from the journal and gave it to her. As soon as the princess held it, she went inside. Moments later she came back with the sketch inside a glass frame like it was a valuable possession. The glaive could only curved up his lips in a smirk.

“Well, maybe I did a better job than I thought.” he muttered.

“If you were to ask me, I would prefer an Ulric more than a Picasso.”, The princess beamed. “You should be proud.”

Even if his mind still doubted, he was. Seeing her happy to have this small portrait made it hard not to.   


End file.
